Chapter 78

"A car is coming!"

Outside the transverse canyon, less than fifty miles from the Grand Canyon in a straight line, the road was already in a state of disrepair. The road that used to directly cross the transverse canyon had reached its end, and the Transverse Sky Bridge, which was even farther away, had long been destroyed.

The Transverse Sky Bridge, which was built at great cost to span the transverse canyon, was destroyed over a decade ago, severing the north and south of Silver Moon.

In the past, with the Transverse Sky Bridge still standing, the north and south of Silver Moon were connected, and the southern and northern cities traded and thrived.

Now, with the north and south under separate governance, the entire Silver Moon has become somewhat desolate.

On the Silver Moon side, there have been several attempts to rebuild the Transverse Sky Bridge, but all have ended in failure. Today, fewer and fewer people mention rebuilding the bridge.

At this moment, at the end of the road, someone was watching the car and whispered.

"Rob them?"

"Are you crazy? Didn't you see that's a patrol car?"

"So what if it's a patrol car... They can't control things out here!"

Behind a large rock, a few people whispered.

The Patrol Department was renowned.

But that was within the city. Outside the city, what could the Patrol Department do?

In recent years, with the rise of superhumans, the Patrol Department had lost its former glory. Even the Night Patrol, which was similar, had to be cautious in the wilderness.

A few martial artists and Starlight Masters whispered. These days, anyone daring enough to rob in the wilderness was not an ordinary person.

Some martial artists and Starlight Masters, who were weak and unwilling to be bound, turned to banditry.

If they were lucky, they might get some good loot.

Of course, if they were unlucky and encountered a strong opponent, they would have to accept their fate and be killed or mutilated at will.

As they were still talking, the person speaking suddenly felt the surroundings go silent.

Turning back, his face instantly turned pale. Just as he was about to flee, a stick fell and instantly shattered his skull into pieces!

Three people walked out from behind the large rock.

Two men and one woman, all very young.

On the ground, there were seven or eight corpses.

Some were killed by the stick, others had their throats crushed.

Sun Moxian walked at the front, looking at the car in the distance, and softly said, "Are they here?"

"Should be!"

The woman whispered.

The youngest of the Ten-Cutting Realm frowned and said, "Why didn't Master come directly and kill Yuan Shuo? Why send us a challenge letter?"

Yes, a challenge letter.

Sun Yifei did not come directly, nor did he hide his intentions.

He had his disciples wait for Yuan Shuo on the inevitable path.

He wanted to issue a challenge letter openly!

Sun Moxian softly said, "This is a custom in the martial arts world, Little Junior Brother, you must remember! When Master challenged Old Demon Yuan on the Transverse Sky Bridge, he was defeated and developed a mental block..."

"Mental block?"

"A mental block is not what you think. It's more like a psychological knot. Master was defeated by Yuan Shuo and left for distant lands, advancing to a superhuman and becoming a Three-Yang powerhouse. However, in the martial arts, he still bore the name of a loser! He wants to reclaim his honor... Only by challenging Old Demon Yuan openly and defeating him can he wash away the shame of the past!"

"But..."

The youngest of the Ten-Cutting Realm, Little Junior Brother, was a bit confused. Was it really necessary?

This was different from the style in the Central Region.

In the Central Region, strength was king. Winning was enough; there was no need for a challenge letter. Whether it was an ambush or an assassination, the dead had no right to speak.

If Master was stronger than Yuan Shuo, he could come directly and kill him with one strike. Who would dare say Master was inferior?

"This is the rule in the Silver Moon martial arts world!"

Sun Moxian emphasized again, whispering, "Be polite later."

"Huh?"

Behind him, the man and woman both looked strange. Be polite?

Sun Moxian, as their senior brother in martial arts, had to remind them, "This is Yuan Shuo, Old Demon Yuan... He is ruthless and has killed half of the Silver Moon martial arts world! We are here to issue a challenge, not to die. If he feels we are impolite and kills us, even if Master kills him, we will have died in vain!"

The two people took a deep breath. That was true.

This was a demon!

A man who had killed countless people.

The three of them stopped talking and began to wait.

The car in front gradually came to a stop. The road was too bumpy, and walking might be better.

A moment later, four people and a dog got out of the car.

...

Liu Long was in front, and Yuan Shuo was behind.

Liu Long walked for a while, looked into the distance, and frowned slightly, "There's a smell of blood!"

Just as they arrived near the transverse canyon, they smelled the scent of blood.

This place was sparsely populated. Was it a battle between superhumans?

Yuan Shuo didn't say anything, just looked in that direction and continued walking.

Li Hao also glanced but saw no light orbs, knowing there were no superhumans, so he didn't say anything. Even if there were people, they were either ordinary people or martial artists.

Wang Ming, however, was bold and laughed, "What's there to fear? With our strength, even a Three-Yang would die!"

One was a Three-Yang Cutting, one was a Thousand-Fighting, one was a Sun-Illuminating, and two were Hundred-Breaking. With this strength, they could act without restraint anywhere.

Of course, the Central Region was different, with too many strong people.

No one spoke, and they continued forward at a steady pace.

This place was still a few dozen miles from the transverse canyon, not too far for martial artists.

They had set out in the morning, and it was almost dark.

They all hoped to reach their destination before nightfall to set up camp and avoid any problems at night.

After walking for a while, they saw a large rock ahead.

Beside the rock, three people were standing.

Their attire was slightly different from the common attire in Silver Moon.

They were dressed as martial artists but with a more luxurious feel. The material looked more luxurious than in Silver Moon, and those with good eyesight could even see golden threads embroidered on the edges.

No one was afraid.

Three young people!

Actually, Li Hao and the others had already guessed their identities because each of the three carried a long stick.

The Brow-Level Stick King!

Of course, the three in front might not be the Brow-Level Stick King, but more likely his disciples.

Without waiting for Yuan Shuo to speak, Li Hao ran forward at great speed.

"Li Hao of Silver City! Disciple of the Five-Animals King. May I ask what business the senior brothers and sisters have?"

Li Hao!

Sun Moxian awkwardly clasped his hands. He didn't know if the etiquette was correct, but it was close enough.

"Sun Moxian of the Southern Dipper Province, disciple of the Brow-Level Stick King! I come by my Master's order to deliver a challenge letter! My Master will challenge the Five-Animals King at the Transverse Sky Bridge tomorrow!"

As he spoke, a letter shot toward Li Hao.

It was infused with internal energy!

The internal energy was powerful, but the paper remained undamaged.

Li Hao reached out to catch it. The internal energy on the paper exploded, and Li Hao's finger strength, like a sword, instantly shattered the internal energy, steadily catching the letter. "I will accept the challenge letter on behalf of my Master. As for the challenge..."

Behind him, Yuan Shuo's expression was calm: "Yuan will be there on time! Tell Sun Yifei, now that he's a superhuman, don't play these games! I also want to see if he has improved after years in the Central Region, mingling with Yinghong Moon!"

Sun Moxian was slightly shaken at this moment, not daring to say more, and clasped his hands, "The letter has been delivered. I will wait for the Five-Animals King tomorrow!"

As he spoke, he quickly left.

Behind him, his junior sister and brother quickly followed.

After walking for a distance, the Ten-Cutting Realm junior brother whispered, "Senior Brother, why didn't you say the tough words Master told us to say?"

"..."

Sun Moxian was silent for a while, then walked a bit further before saying, "Those are Master's words. We shouldn't say them. Tough words are useless. Old Demon Yuan is ruthless. If he kills us, it won't be worth it. Also... if there's a challenge tomorrow, it's a custom in the Silver Moon martial arts world for disciples to fight a few rounds to warm up... I will directly face Li Hao tomorrow!"

The two people were stunned. Why?

"Senior Brother..."

"Li Hao accepted my challenge letter. The letter contained a hint of power, originally meant to intimidate him, but he easily shattered it. Li Hao is either in the late stage of Hundred-Breaking or has reached the peak of Hundred-Breaking!"

Upon hearing this, the two people were shocked.

"Really? I heard from Red Moon that Li Hao was only a disciple of Old Demon Yuan for three years and didn't even inherit martial arts at first. At most, he should be in the Ten-Cutting Realm. How could he be in the Hundred-Breaking Realm?"

"Even if he is in the Hundred-Breaking Realm, he should be at the initial stage. How could he be in the late stage or even the peak? The peak requires the understanding of power..."

The two people were somewhat disbelieving.

Was it possible?

Sun Moxian thought for a while and shook his head, "It's hard to say. Be cautious. Master said the Silver Moon martial arts world produces many strong people. Indeed, in the Central Region, we are considered geniuses in martial arts, but here, it seems Hundred-Breaking martial artists are everywhere."

Everyone fell silent and quickly left.

...

At the same time.

Yuan Shuo looked at the letter and sneered, "Decades have passed, and he's still the same."

After saying that, he looked at Li Hao, "Why did you accept it so directly? I thought you would choose to retreat."

Li Hao smiled simply, "I can't disgrace my teacher! We are martial artists of the same era. If his disciple sends a challenge letter, and I disgrace my teacher, my life is small, but my reputation is great! In the martial arts world, reputation is more important than life, isn't it?"

"..."

Yuan Shuo almost laughed, almost losing his composure.

What a joke!

He looked at Li Hao again and said after a while, "That Sun Moxian is not simple. He should have understood power. I didn't expect Sun Yifei to cultivate such a young Hundred-Breaking Peak martial artist. That's not easy."

A Hundred-Breaking Peak martial artist is definitely harder to cultivate than a Sun-Illuminating.

To become a Sun-Illuminating, one only needs to break three barriers.

It's about talent and mysterious energy. But for a martial artist to enter the Hundred-Breaking Peak, it's about insight. Insight is sometimes too abstract. Even if someone is extremely intelligent, they might not understand power.

He looked at Li Hao again, "Sun Yifei is bringing his disciples to challenge. I understand his intention! Think carefully. If you can avoid the fight tomorrow, then avoid it."

Hiding until now, many people might watch tomorrow.

If Li Hao's strength is exposed, it won't be a good thing.

Li Hao usually likes to be low-key, but today, he shook his head, "It's different! Teacher once dominated the Silver Moon martial arts world. Now, retired in Silver City, if even Sun Yifei's disciple can't be dealt with, wouldn't that disgrace the teacher?"

This is an era where reputation is more important than anything, especially for these senior martial artists.

Hiding is also a matter of timing.

If Li Hao doesn't fight and loses, that would be even more disgraceful.

Superhumans might not understand or care about these things, but in the martial arts world, they definitely do.

Beside him, Wang Ming seemed to understand and quickly said, "I'll go! Teacher, I'm also your registered disciple... A registered disciple is still a disciple. Watch me crush that guy!"

Yuan Shuo glanced at him and said after a while, "You? Not to belittle you, but if Sun Moxian isn't a beginner... If you go, it's a 70-30 split!"

What does that mean?

70-30 split?

Wang Ming couldn't help but say, "70-30... Teacher, you mean my winning chance is only 70%?"

That's too low!

I'm a Sun-Illuminating, and the other side is clearly not a Thousand-Fighting.

"30 for you, 70 for him!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ming's face turned green. This was too belittling.

"I'm a Sun-Illuminating..."

"Just recently became a Sun-Illuminating!" Yuan Shuo laughed, "Is that impressive? It is pretty impressive. If Liu Long hadn't become a Thousand-Fighting, he might not have been able to match you, because Liu Long's strength was at the peak level, but he hadn't understood power. His pseudo-peak would definitely not match a Sun-Illuminating."

A martial artist who hasn't understood power can't match a Sun-Illuminating.

But once they understand power, it's a different story.

Saying 70-30 might be exaggerated, but 50-50 is definitely possible, with no clear winner.

At this moment, Liu Long nodded slightly, "Without understanding power, definitely can't match a Sun-Illuminating! If they understand, it depends on the strength of the power, experience, and level... The outcome is indeed hard to predict."

He continued, "Old Yuan, Sun Yifei is issuing a challenge letter directly, but it's not time to explore the ruins yet... Old Yuan is needed for entry. Is Sun Yifei disregarding everyone's thoughts?"

Yuan Shuo said calmly, "Who knows? Either Sun Yifei is so powerful that even the three major organizations and the Night Patrol can't stop him, or he's probing, or he wants to seriously injure me so I can be easily controlled in the ruins, to avoid causing trouble with my strength."

Liu Long frowned deeply.

He looked at Li Hao and then at Yuan Shuo, "If we accept the challenge, Old Yuan's strength will be exposed tomorrow... Will that be inappropriate for what comes next?"

Before entering, if the strength is exposed,

If stronger than Sun Yifei, everyone will be on guard.

If weaker, they might directly inflict serious injuries... or even kill, though that's unlikely before exploring the ruins.

No matter how you look at it, it seems like a loss.

Yuan Shuo sneered, "If it's exposed, so be it! When there's no strength, be low-key! With strength, why not be high-profile? Who dares to provoke, I'll kill them!"

At this moment, he had the aura of a demon.

If exposed, so be it!

If he can kill Sun Yifei, he'll kill everyone.

Sun Yifei can also help him gauge the strength of a superhuman, to avoid overestimating himself.

Being low-key in the past was because of lack of strength.

Now... he's not afraid!

He suddenly looked at Li Hao, "You accepted the challenge so eagerly, risking exposure of your strength. Speak up, do you have something in mind?"

Li Hao smiled, "Teacher, I have something in mind. I found that one strike... must be bold! Cutting me, drawing blood... I see that person's strength is not weak, with power present. He's my best opponent! If I can defeat him, my sword power might form."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shuo's eyes lit up.

"So... you want to hide the Earth Power?"

"Um!"

Li Hao nodded, "My internal energy turns into a sword, and few would think I would understand Earth Power. So I want to use my late Hundred-Breaking strength to fight him! If I can win, I have a chance to understand sword power!"

Once the sword power is